Surefire A2 vs Surefire L2?

I have an A2 now, but I'm kinda thinking about an L2.

A2 has 50 Lumens for approx 1 hour
3 lumens for 15 hours

L2 has 65 Lumens for 60 minutes
15 Lumens for 8 hours.

Which is a better light for EDC?

Where are you going to hide the A2?

Depends on what you need it for. If the A2 has served your ED needs pretty well so far then it would seem to make a pretty good EDC.
The L2 is longer and you get a lot more flood and its also brighter on low which can be good and bad depending on what you tend to use low for.
I still EDC an A2 but tend to use an L2 around the house more.

dont know anything about the L2 but you should search the threads on the A2. Runtime is closer to 50 minutes /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

It will depend a lot on what you use it for. I've got both, and I feel the A2 is a little more versatile (for me anyways).

Comparing the high beams, the A2 has more of a hot spot and much greater throw than the LED of the L2, but it won't last quite as long (10-15 minutes less runtime). If you find yourself needing a bright flood beam more than a tighter spot, than the L2 may be better for you.

The low beams are also very different. The L2 has a brighter low beam, but doesn't last as long as the A2's three 5mm LED's. If you find yourself needing a low beam that is brighter than the A2's for regular use, the L2 may be better for you.

A big advantage to the L2 is that the LED won't burn out or blow (at least not anytime soon), where the A2 will be a bit more fragile due to its incan bulb. An advantage to some people is that the LED's in the A2 are available in different colors, which may be better for some tasks. The A2 is also a little bit shorter, coming in at about 5/8" or 1.5mm shorter than the L2.

-Keith

I vote for the A2. The L2's low mode is too bright for close up tasks such as reading in the dark while the high mode doesn't have enough throw. The L2's flood light characteristic is good in certain situations, but overall I still prefer the A2.

I have both. I prefer the A2.

I have both.

I prefer the L2 but in some situations the A2 with Red LEDs has been more useful. However, I may carry both for a while to see which one I use the most...

Al

Toecutter,

The advantage of the L2 is high or low floodlight + Beamshaper, Red, and Blue filter cover options on a 1 inch head.

The advantage of the A2 is pencil-beam distance or very low power LED light of just 1 color. No head covers are available.

Given the choice, I chose the L2. I gave my A2 away and picked up an L1 for a two-stage, low-power EDC.

If you were looking for a four-stage light, The A2 would give you stages 1 and 4, and the L2 would give you stages 2 and 3 with filtered versatility.

Just my 2 cents.

I also have both. The A2 is perfect for reading a map or gps in the car (while wife is driving) then popping it out the window to light up street signs or house numbers. Also the A2 makes an excellent reading light anytime. A2 gives you a choice of LED and Incan. A2 out throws the L2, in heavy rain or fog the A2 REALLY out throws the L2. I would use the L2 to light up a room while the power is out and I needed a lot of light for a large, complicated task, and the A2 when navigating or walking outside or almost anything else. The A2's 3 led's are almost perfect for walking in the dark, then switch in the incan to look for more trail blazes (Appy Trail). The A2 is my EDC and what I use around the house as well. Mine hasn't proved to be that fragile as it has been dropped and I have fell with it twice on wet rocks and no harm done so far.

And for the truly paranoid, the A2 has four bulbs. So no problem in having at least some kind of light when you hit that switch. You can also choose, at time of purchase, a different color of LED - blue, red, green, or yellow-green. So you wouldn't actually need a filter to have a different color if you needed the color on low and white on high. I have the white.

You can probably guess I prefer the A2, but I wouldn't lose too much sleep if I had to switch full time to my L2.

Can you use Pilas on any of these lights?

6P,

No, Pilas do not fit in the A2 or the L2. The Pilas are too large in diameter.

did someone try if the regulator works with li-ion cells?